The Eighth Annual Symposium on Gerontology and Geriatrics, "Care of the Aged: Application of Health Services Research," is proposed as a means for informing a multidisciplinary audience of new information of the application of health services research (HSR) to evaluate the effects of prospective payment systems (PPS) on care of elderly patients and management of long-term care programs. This is proposed in the context of an urgent need to provide the most effective and appropriate level of care to older patients for the least cost. The continued increase in both numbers and proportion of frail elderly in the U.S. population, combined with the realization that health care resources are finite, raises a host of clinical, managerial, ethical and societal questions. The primary goal of this symposium is to explore new developments concerning the organization, provision and financing of health services for older people. Information will be presented in lectures, poster presentations and discussions. Four broad topics will be addressed: (1) PPS: Issues for Health Services Research; (2) PPS: Impact on Care for the Elderly; (3) PPS: Impact on Long-Term Care Program Management; and (4) Health Promotion and Disease Prevention for the Elderly. The proceedings will be published in book form. The symposium will be held September 13-14, 1989 at the Clarion Hotel in St. Louis, Missouri. Co-Sponsors are the St. Louis VA Medical Center (GRECC, HSR&D and the Continuing Education Center) and St. Louis University (School of Medicine, School of Nursing and Center for Health Services Education and Research).